Easy Lemon Garlic Sauteed Kale Recipe

One of my favorite kale recipes! See how to make delicious sautéed kale with fresh lemon and garlic. Simple, quick, and delicious! Jump to the Quick and Easy Sautéed Kale Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.

This is a simple, delicious, and healthy recipe for cooking kale. It’s also my go-to method. If you have never sautéed kale before, you need to start.

As the kale cooks in the pan, it wilts, turns tender, and becomes sweet. Kale may sound like a boring side, but this is one of our favorite sides to make. It’s fast and so simple. If you have spinach instead of kale, check out our lemony sautéed spinach recipe and keep in mind that you can use this recipe for cabbage and Brussels sprouts!

Kale is a nutrient powerhouse. It’s good for you with high levels of vitamin A, K, B6 and C. Not to mention, when cooked properly, it tastes fantastic.

There Are A Few Types Of Kale, All Of Which Can Be Used In This Recipe

• Curly kale is what we see most often in the grocery store. It has bright green leaves that look like ruffles.

• Dinosaur kale is my favorite variety of kale. The leaves are more flat, leaf shaped and are a darker green color.

• Redbor kale has ruffled leaves, but instead of being green, they range from red to purple.

• Russian kale has purple stems and flat dark green leaves.

Whichever variety of kale I’m cooking with, I like to remove the leaves from the stems. You can either cut the leaves from the stems or pull them away. I find stripping the leaves by hand is easiest. If you are cooking baby kale, removing the leaves from the stems is not necessary.

We love kale in many forms, but our favorite way to cook it is to sauté it in a little fat on the stove and then add some broth to wilt the kale down. In this easy recipe, we stay on the healthier side and cook the kale in olive oil, but you can swap the olive oil for other fats. Try butter, coconut oil or nut oils like walnut. You can even cook a few pieces of bacon before the kale and use the rendered bacon fat for extra flavor.

Sautéed Kale Recipe Ingredients

We’ll use 6 simple ingredients in this easy sautéed kale recipe:

• Kale! I love tender lacinato kale, but another variety, such as curly kale, will work here too. Before you cook it, wash and dry the kale and remove any tough stems. Then, tear or chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

• Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds rich flavor and helps the kale soften as it cooks.

• Garlic – It amps up the flavor in this simple dish.

• Lemon juice – It makes the hearty kale nice and bright.

• And sea salt and fresh black pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chopped kale, salt, and pepper, and cook, tossing, until the kale wilts. Remove from the heat, and squeeze a little lemon juice over the kale. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Read Also: The Healthyish Southwest Chicken Salad That Keeps You Full

Making The Recipe

Making this kale recipe could not be simpler. Heat some fat in a skillet, add garlic, chopped kale, a bit of salt and pepper, broth, and then cook until bright green, wilted, and tender. The broth helps to steam the kale, which tones down some of the bitterness kale can have.

Simply sautéed kale cooked with olive oil, broth, salt and garlic is quite delicious, but when we have it in the kitchen, we love to add a little fresh lemon juice at the end.

It just brightens up the dish. If you don’t have a lemon, apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar is an excellent substitute.

Sauteed Kale Serving Suggestions

On its own, this sautéed kale recipe is a healthy, delicious side dish that pairs well with nearly any protein, pasta, or soup. However, it’s also a versatile cooking component! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:

• In a frittata. Make a very-veggie frittata with sautéed kale and whatever other vegetables or herbs you like. It’s yummy in these mini frittata muffins too!

• In pasta. Toss it with your favorite noodles, marinara sauce, and Parmesan or vegan Parmesan cheese. You could also stir it into pesto pasta or spaghetti aglio e olio. Not in the mood for pasta? It’s delicious with spaghetti squash and sweet potato noodles too!

• In a grain bowl. Add it to this buddha bowl or this veggie bowl, or make your own bowl with the sautéed kale, a grain like quinoa, farro, or brown rice, and a protein like baked tofu, tempeh, lentils, or roasted chickpeas. Top it off with a flavorful sauce like tahini sauce, peanut sauce, chipotle sauce, or cilantro lime dressing.

• In tacos or quesadillas. Give a green boost to vegetarian tacos or quesadillas by tucking in a few leaves of sautéed kale.

• On pizza. Trust me, it’s delicious!